You may have heard your trainer say that they were going to work on your posterior chain. But what exactly is your posterior chain? Well, your posterior chain is all your muscles that are on the back side of your body. The main muscles of your posterior chain include your back muscles, your glutes, and your hamstrings. So why is it important to train the posterior chain? 

First, it is important because you need a balance between muscles that are in front of your body and muscles that are on the back of your body. For example, if you only ever trained you upper body to do push motions, you would end up with some imbalances because your chest and front shoulders would be stronger and more developed than your back. Therefore, it is important to use your front and back muscles in the same proportion, so doing some rows in complement of pushes, are a good idea. 

Second, your back muscles are your postural muscles. They keep your body erected while doing everyday movements, as well as when lifting. Your back muscles are active during all compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, RDLs and overhead presses. You also have a lot of muscles that help stabilize the spine and the shoulders in your posterior chain. These muscles, when getting stronger, will also help with having good posture. 

If you do a desk job, it is especially important to work on your posterior chain muscles because these muscles likely get under worked due to your sitting position. If you are often experiencing back pain, getting your back stronger will help alleviate the pain. You will feel that staying in a position with nice posture will feel much better and more comfortable than before.  

Working on your posterior chain muscles is important because these muscles help stabilize the spine and keep your body erected. They also help in all the movements that you will be performing in the gym. And working on them will give you a nice aesthetic back for the summer as a bonus! So get rowing!